Chapter 1758. Because I Made It This Way (3)

"Withdraw."

"Yes."

At the command of Heavenly Executioner, the Blood Cult Lord, still prostrating on the ground, crawled backward to retreat. A flicker of disgust passed through Heavenly Executioner's eyes as he watched the scene.

'Pathetic.'

However, perhaps it was his current situation that was truly pathetic—having to manipulate such a worthless creature like this, despite possessing the power to shake the world, he was bound by the chains of the Cult's laws, forced to merely whisper from afar.

The Cult's followers cannot interfere with the Central Plains.

So Heavenly Executioner's thought was simple.

If direct intervention is forbidden, then indirect intervention will suffice. If someone else were to create chaos in the Central Plains, it would not be a violation of the law.

He knew it was a flimsy excuse. If the doctrine were applied strictly, Heavenly Executioner would not escape the Cult's greatest sin: "Blasphemy."

While he couldn't be certain how the other followers would view his actions, the Archbishop certainly would not condone them. Perhaps the Archbishop had already sent someone to judge him, and they might be close at hand.

But Heavenly Executioner didn't care.

He had already proven his steadfast faith by slaughtering the young bishop who violated the doctrine with his own hands, yet that incident left a clear scar in Heavenly Executioner's heart.

- How long...?

Heavenly Executioner could not answer that question.

'Oh, Heavenly Demon. My Lord.'

He believed that the Demon would return, and once again lead them all. This wavering faith would surely be rewarded.

But there was one thing he couldn't be sure of.

Would the advent of the Demon happen within the lifetimes of those who had survived?

Heavenly Executioner's gaze darkened.

The Cult was forgetting its past. Those who had only heard tales of greatness, but never witnessed it with their own eyes, were beginning to harbor doubts.

Given this situation, if the Demon's advent only occurred after the lives of the survivors had ended, the Cult would never be the same.

He had to devise a method.

'The Demon that descends upon the world will drench everything in blood.'

This prophecy, passed down for ages, was an undeniable truth that Heavenly Executioner had never questioned. One day, as he mulled over it, a thought came to him.

The Demon will drench the world in blood... So, could it be that when the world is drenched in blood, the Demon must already have descended?

It might be a fallacy. But Heavenly Executioner believed it was worth trying. No, in fact, it didn't matter if it was useless. It was better than doing nothing and being trapped in an eternal wait.

So, by any means necessary, he would drench the land before him in red.

It would be a sacrifice prepared for the Demon's descent. He would even offer his faith and his life to prepare the world for the Demon's arrival.

Heavenly Executioner bit his lip and stared out over the vast land.

'Oh, Heavenly Demon, my lord. Do you hear me?'

Desperately hoping, even while coercing such lowly creatures... Could you hear the wretched voice of this pitiable soul?

With eyes filled with turmoil, Heavenly Executioner looked out over the land of the Central Plains, then slowly turned around.

'Not yet….'

And just as he was about to step away and leave this place.

"Cough!"

Suddenly, Heavenly Executioner's body curled up as if struck by some fatal force. It was as if a giant hand had crushed him by force.

His hunched back heaved violently.

"Ugh, urgh!"

A torrent of pitch-black blood poured from his mouth.

'What....?'

Heavenly Executioner's eyes filled with shock.

'What is this?'

Is it demonic corruption?

Impossible.

It was an undeniable fact that practicing demonic arts could harm the practitioner, just as one could not deny that a sword could wound a person, no matter how it was wielded.

But Heavenly Executioner had long surpassed such limitations. He had reached the extreme pinnacle of demonic arts. The Demon didn't dominate him; he had become the one who could dominate the Demon.

For someone like him, suffering from the side effects of demonic arts was as absurd as a tiger being killed by an ant bite.

But if not that... then what on earth was this?

"Ugh!"

Heavenly Executioner spat out blood once more.

It was as if his own body was betraying him, violently rebelling against him.

'Is it a mind demon?'

Another possibility flashed through his mind. But he quickly shook his head.

No, it wasn't that. Even the demonic trials he endured before reaching the pinnacle, which were said to be far more intense than those faced by those who practiced orthodox martial arts, didn't manifest without such warning signs, nor did they shake his body like this.

Then what was causing this?

Heavenly Executioner slowly turned around. His hands, lost and uncertain, trembled uncontrollably in the air.

'.... Could it be?'

His eyes shook as if an earthquake had hit them.

'Am I now....?'

Is this emotion that's burrowing into his chest really what he thinks it is? Could it be that he's reviving a sensation that he forgot decades ago, a time when everything in this world began to feel meaningless to him?

If so...

'I must confirm it. Right now.'

Heavenly Executioner launched himself off the ground in an instant, his body shooting forward like a black meteor.

Northward, toward the desolate land he had just left.

❀ ❀ ❀

"Hmm."

Hwang Jong's face was deeply troubled. Or perhaps it was simply the exhaustion that had piled up over time.

'This isn't easy.'

Huayin had grown incomparably larger than it was in the past. The influx of countless refugees had caused the population of Huayin to swell to an unimaginable size.

Ensuring that these people could settle and live in Huayin without issue was not as simple as it seemed. Even with the help of the Alliance, the scale was beyond what Hwang Jong or the Eunha Merchant Guild could manage.

"How much longer can we hold out like this, sangdanju-nim? We're severely understaffed. At this rate, everyone will...."

".... I know."

A sigh escaped Hwang Jong's lips.

"But we can't just request more manpower right now, can we?"

"That's true, but..."

The subordinates bowed their heads. Hwang Jong spoke again.

"The Alliance members who went to Wudang are literally fighting for their lives. Can we afford to complain?"

"You're absolutely right, but..."

"I understand. Still, let's hang in there just a little longer. The war won't drag on for much longer."

"….Yes."

The person who had raised the issue grimaced but returned to calculating on the abacus. It wasn't that they fully agreed with Hwang Jong. They just knew that Hwang Jong had far more responsibilities than they did.

Managing Huayin alone was overwhelming, but on top of that, he had to support the Alliance in Wudang and manage the distribution of the supplies they needed. Even if he had ten bodies, it wouldn't be enough.

'If the war ends in victory, we'll receive a high evaluation...'

The thought of becoming one of the founding figures of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, which would rule the Central Plains, was an exhilarating opportunity. Perhaps they might even realize the dream of unifying the business world.

In the end, the victorious side in any war is always the merchants.

'But that only matters if we survive.'

What good is honor if no one is left alive to enjoy it? At this rate, Hwang Jong might meet an untimely end before the war even ends.

".... Are you certain the war won't drag on?"

"It won't."

No, to be precise, it can't.

The easiest way to assess the war's progress is to monitor the flow of funds and supplies. Neither Heavenly Comrade Alliance nor Evil Tyrant Alliance have the resources to continue this standoff.

Both sides are stretched to their limits, so when one side finally reaches its breaking point, they'll be forced into an all-out battle. With both forces having left their strongholds, there's no option to retreat.

"Then...."

The person who was about to speak again swallowed their question. Hwang Jong didn't need to hear it to know what they wanted to ask.

Can we win?

Hwang Jong felt a small sense of gratitude toward the person for holding back the question. In the past, he would have confidently answered yes, but now, even Hwang Jong harbored secret doubts about the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

Why is everything progressing so slowly, so frustratingly? The Heavenly Comrade Alliance he knew had been much more decisive.

Unable to shake his frustration, Hwang Jong sighed deeply once more. He had some idea of the reasons behind it, but there was nothing he could do from his position in Huayin.

"We can only trust them and wait."

"....Yes."

Hwang Jong refocused on the documents scattered before him.

It was difficult, but he needed to concentrate. He didn't want to burden those fighting for the fate of the Central Plains with even the smallest of his troubles. He couldn't allow it.

"Sangdanju-nim."

"What is it?"

"....You have a guest."

The sudden news made Hwang Jong furrow his brow.

"A guest? We're not in a position to entertain anyone right now. Tell them to leave."

"That's the problem. The guest isn't here for you, sangdanju-nim, but for the Alliance..."

A guest for the Alliance?

Hwang Jong's eyes filled with confusion. The very idea seemed absurd.

At this moment, there were no individuals in the Central Plains who could be called 'guests' of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Even if there were, anyone with the most basic understanding of the situation would have gone to Gunyun, not Huayin.

In other words, this guest was someone ignorant of the current state of affairs, yet they were significant enough to be called a guest of the Alliance and had come to Huayin. It didn't make sense.

"Who did they say they were?"

"Well…."

Before the subordinate could respond, Hwang Jong rose from his seat.

The subordinate had kept glancing back, indicating that the guest had already arrived at the door.

"Bring them in."

"Please, come in."

No sooner had the words been spoken than two people walked in.

One of them appeared ordinary, but the other had a somewhat small stature.

'A boy? Or a woman?'

It was difficult to tell because the figure was completely shrouded in a large robe. Normally, someone whose face was concealed wouldn't be allowed to stand before Hwang Jong. This was a failure on the part of the guards at the door, and Hwang Jong silently resolved to address this mistake sternly later.

Nevertheless, he calmly questioned the two guests, without dropping his guard.

"Would it be improper of me to ask the reason for your visit?"

The person with the ordinary build seemed to notice Hwang Jong's displeasure and quickly responded.

"I apologize for the intrusion."

Hwang Jong flinched for a moment. The pronunciation was awkward. This person was not fluent in the language of the Central Plains.

Just then, the man who had spoken lightly pulled back his robe.

"Uh... wha-?"

Hwang Jong couldn't hide his shock and widened his eyes.

A red monk's robe and a clean-shaven head. The speech was fluent yet strangely accented. Putting all these clues together, it wasn't difficult to guess the identity of these two.

"I am a monk of Potala Palace. In the palace, they call me Panchen Lama."

"Pa-Panchen...!"

Hwang Jong's eyes grew even wider.

His gaze then shifted from Panchen Lama, the second-in-command of Potala Palace and a towering figure of the Western Regions, to the other person.

Hwang Jong had noticed earlier, as they walked in, how Panchen Lama treated the small-statured person with great reverence.

Who else in the world could someone like Panchen Lama serve?

"T-Then, this person must be..."

The small figure slowly removed the robe that had concealed their face.

As the young face was revealed, it radiated an aura of untouchable sanctity.

Hwang Jong instinctively shrank back. It felt completely natural to do so.

'That... person...'

At that moment, the young man spoke. His voice, heavy and resonant, didn't match his youthful appearance.

"Where is Cheong Myeong dojang?"

An overwhelming presence descended upon him, and Hwang Jong's consciousness began to fade.